People behaving in a drunken, violent or antisocial manner in Sutton town centre face having alcohol seized, being removed from the area and potentially being arrested as police launch a new operation to tackle crime and disorder.
Operation Nexus is the new neighbourhood policing initiative will see additional officers deployed to target violence, retail crime and antisocial behaviour in hotspot locations across Nottinghamshire.
The first day of the operation, on Friday (September 11), saw scores of officers deployed to Sutton-in-Ashfield town centre, where residents, retailers and shoppers had previously raised concerns about antisocial behaviour in the area.
Inspector Keith Croft, district commander for Ashfield, said: “Operationally, the aim of today’s activity was to give us a starting point for the future of Operation Nexus and show that we are here to help.
“Our retailers, shopkeepers and residents have raised their concerns, and we have listened.
“Moving forward, we will take those concerns and get back to the basics of policing: having boots on the ground and protecting our communities in a meaningful and strategic manner.”
The operation saw Nottinghamshire Police officers visit local shops alongside Ashfield District Council Community Protection Officers to take more than 45 impact surveys, giving shop owners the chance to raise their concerns.
The inspector said: “Understandably, our community is fed up with the level of antisocial behaviour in the town centre.
“By taking these surveys, we can cross-reference the results, pinpoint the concerns that are impacting our retailers the most and create a bespoke plan to tackle those issues.
“We want our community to know that their voices are heard and that action is taking place.”
Officers also took the chance to make a number of arrests in the town centre, including the arrest of one man for breach of a civil injunction. The man was taken to court, found guilty and received a £100 fine, all within three hours.
Inspector Croft added: “Through the great joint work of my team and the council, we arrested two people within hours of arriving.
“One person was arrested, taken to court, found guilty and issued a fine, all within a three-hour window.
“This is unprecedented and shows what is truly possible when we work closely with our partners and our communities to tackle these offences.”
As well as making arrests, officers issued six new dispersal orders, meaning those individuals now risk arrest if they return to the town centre during the period of the order.
Inspector Croft said: “It is unacceptable to be drunk, under the influence of drugs or a general nuisance in our town centre, and we will continue to take proactive action like today until those individuals get that message.
“The public can also support this operation by reporting incidents, providing statements where appropriate and speaking to officers on patrol when they have concerns.
“Working as a community, we can make this operation a continued success.”
